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Characterising microplastics in shower wastewater with Raman imaging
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This study used Raman imaging spectroscopy to detect and identify plastic microfibers in shower wastewater, distinguishing synthetic fibers from cotton and other background materials. The technique offers a sensitive method for characterizing microplastics released during daily hygiene activities, a significant but often overlooked source of microfiber pollution in domestic wastewater.
Microplastics can potentially be released in our daily activities, such as via our showers, as our clothes are made of plastic fibres, and/or cotton fibres. The challenge is how to characterise these microplastics in shower debris. Herewith we employ Raman imaging to directly visualise the microplastics collected from shower wastewater. Raman can map an image from the scanning array that contains a matrix of thousands of spectra, featuring a considerably higher signal-noise ratio than that from a single spectrum. The increased signal-noise ratio reduces the complexity of sample preparation. Consequently, after the shower debris was sampled and washed, Raman imaging allowed us to distinguish the microplastic fibres from the background including cotton fibres and dirt aggregates. Interestingly, by adjusting the laser power intensity, the scanning process enabled simultaneous in-situ bleaching of the colorants formulated in the textile fibres and collection of signals. The disadvantage of Raman imaging such as the short focusing/working distance is also presented and discussed. Overall, the Raman imaging can extract meaningful information from the complex shower debris samples to enable analysis of microplastics.
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Classification Of Environmental Micro-Fibres Using Stimulated Raman Microspectroscopy
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This study applied stimulated Raman microspectroscopy to classify and identify environmental microfibres, which are the most abundant type of microplastic in the environment but are particularly difficult to analyze due to their small size. The technique enabled chemical characterization of individual fibres under 15 micrometres in diameter, distinguishing plastic from natural fibres. Improving identification methods for microfibres is critical because their small size and prevalence make them a priority concern for both environmental monitoring and human health risk assessment.
When microplastics are not plastic: Chemical characterization of environmental microfibers using stimulated Raman microspectroscopy
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Researchers used advanced Raman microscopy to determine whether microfibers found in various marine environments are actually made of plastic. They found that roughly three-quarters of environmental microfibers are natural materials like cotton or cellulose rather than synthetic polymers. The study suggests that many previous estimates of microplastic fiber pollution may have significantly overcounted by misidentifying natural fibers as plastic.
Analysis of microplastics in detergents
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Researchers developed methods to detect and characterize microplastics in commercial detergent products using Raman spectroscopy, finding plastic particles intentionally added for functional purposes in some products. Microplastics deliberately added to consumer products represent a direct and preventable source of plastic pollution when products are washed down drains.
How to Identify and Quantify Microplastics and Nanoplastics Using Raman Imaging?
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This paper reviews advances in Raman imaging as a method for identifying and quantifying microplastics and nanoplastics in environmental samples, discussing current protocols, analytical challenges, and the need for standardization.
Quantitative analysis of microplastics in water by Raman spectroscopy: influence of microplastic concentration on Raman scattering intensities
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Researchers investigated quantitative Raman spectroscopy for detecting microplastics directly in water, finding that Raman scattering intensities varied with concentration for both PVC spheres (40-100 um) and PE spheres (40-48 um) dispersed in de-ionized water at 0.1-1.0 wt%.
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When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.